Posts Tagged With: slideshow

MONDAY 7/16: Wall Drug Country

After the lull across North Dakota on Sunday, we’re excited to see the signs welcoming us to Wall Drug country. And, the signs touting FREE ICE WATER and 5 cent Coffee! Already, South Dakota is showing itself to be a happening place, comparatively speaking. Seriously, though I am excited to be here. I’ve planned this vacation for hours. I’ve scoured a few websites and even downloaded the Black Hills/Badlands app. Yes, there’s an app for that.

Monday morning we grab some breakfast at the super swanky Frontier Cabins Dining Room/Gift Shop/Fireworks stand. Seriously, this place is truly a hidden gem. We were given a cabin upgrade on check-in because the cabin size we wanted wasn’t available for two nights. We had agreed to switch cabins after the first night, but they didn’t want to inconvenience us and just upgraded our accommodations. And the kicker? You get a FREE BAG OF ICE for every day you stay! SD, you’re creeping right on up in my book. No, we didn’t stay in a teepee, although they’re available for $50/night. The cabin was clean, homey and perfect after a long two days on the road.

After breakfast, it’s back in the car to see the natural beauty of South Dakota. There is plenty to see all within just an hour or so drive from Wall. We head East (or is it West, South?) from Wall for the Badlands. A few minutes later we’re greeted by this:

Click for larger size.

Fantastic. They’re warning the rattlesnakes to Beware! This is my kind of place. The Badlands showcase some of the most eerily beautiful scenery I’ve experienced. My oldest is in heaven climbing all the rock formations. My youngest is bewaring the rattlesnakes and the crevices that could swallow him whole and pretty much anything else that may cause instantaneous death.

Click for larger size.

This area deserves much more time than what we are able to spend. The scorching heat combined with the king’s anti-outdoors sentiments make for a relatively quick stop. I really think I could spend an entire day, if my skin wouldn’t melt off my bones. I’d love to dig around in those nooks and crannies and see what treasures Old West marauders may have stashed. There were marauders here, right?

So back in the car it is, with the A/C blasting and Custer State Park in our sights.

Enjoy your cookouts, family and friends. Enjoy your freedoms and never forget the sacrifices made for those freedoms. America! F*** Yeah!

Here in Kentucky, we’re in the middle of a drought. Fireworks are being banned all over the place. For those of you that won’t get to see the real deal, enjoy this slideshow from back in 2010. I always love doing shots like these. Seeing the fireworks as the camera lens sees them is always like opening a present! Hope you enjoy.